Man arrested after ‘drugs found’ following police pursuit

Police have arrested a man in his 40s and seized a significant quantity of suspected Class A drugs after a vehicle crashed into a field near Templepatrick following a pursuit by officers.

At about 21:15 GMT on Monday, police officers were attending a report in Antrim when they observed a white Audi A4 acting suspiciously.

Police said that “a short time later, the same vehicle was reported to have been seen breaching a red light in the Broadway roundabout area of south Belfast, before doing a U-turn on the Donegall Road”.

Officers then pursued the vehicle, which “continued to drive in an erratic manner on the M2 country-bound, and [was] swerving onto the hard shoulder to undertake vehicles”.

“It also swerved at a police vehicle, narrowly avoiding a collision,” Sgt Wallace of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) added.

“Officers continued to pursue the car after it exited the motorway, and it later crashed into a field at the junction of the Moat Road and the Cherryhill Road, near Templepatrick.”

A quantity of suspected Class A drugs, together with drugs paraphernalia, a passport, and mobile phones were also located inside the vehicle by police.

Police said that a man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of offences including failing to stop for police, driving whilst unfit through drunk or drugs, dangerous driving, and possession of a Class A controlled drug with intent to supply.